The Cruise
by Lion warrior
Summary: Our beloved Dr. Po has been working way too hard. So, the whole hospital has decided to put him and his cohort, Dr. Monkey, on a cruise.
1. Chapter 1

A Cruise

* * *

"Another AT? Where are you getting these?" I asked Demi.

"Just write the story. People ain't got time for your questioning," Demi replied harshly.

* * *

Po was leaning on the railing of the boat. The massive cruise liner sailed silently through the daylight waters. Po and his friend Monkey had been given a vacation by their boss, Mr. Oogway. Working as doctors and Mr. Oogway as their head doctor, the turtle decided that the two needed a break, especially Po. He had the tendency of overworking because he loved easing the pain people had. Monkey decided to save up enough money for a cruise. Po was hesitant at first, but chimed in once their married friends, Viper and Crane joined in. So the married couple stayed in one room and Po and Monkey stayed in the other. Well, that's how it was supposed to go. Po soon realized that Monkey was better suited for the cruising life. On a cruise, nothing really shuts down. There's always something going on. It's like a moving city. So fun-loving Monkey was always seen at the dance parties, the limbo tournaments, and the adult comedy shows. Fortunately for everyone, he was not doing the comedy. However, though Po did enjoy it, he felt lonely most of the time. And it was just their first day at sea.

"You need to lighten up," Monkey said coming behind Po. Po sighed.

"I know. And believe it or not, I am having fun."

"Having fun alone," Monkey mentioned. Po shrugged. "Come on, Po. You need some action and stress-relieving fun. You've been in that office and the hospital for too long. You still smell like the doctor's office."

"You know, I learned that it actually comes in a cologne now. 'Doctor's Office Cha le 25'," Po joked. Monkey laughed.

"That's the spirit. You need to get your head out of the clouds and have some fun. Why don't you party around Viper and Crane?"

"Because I'll be the third wheel," Po replied.

"Okay, then just keep wandering about the boat like you usually do and find someone you like. Who knows, it maybe your first girlfriend," Monkey cheekily smiled. Po grumbled as a light pink hue came across his face. While his simian friend left him, Po began to just browse the ship. And boy, did he browse! He went up to the upper-class rooms and dining rooms, walked the mile long running track, passed through the spa, training room, casual eating center where he had a small bite, went through the ship's garden, looked around the kids area, looked around the teen's area, and then finally looked around the library. The library seemed to be Po's kind of style. Small and quaint, not that many rowdy people like at Monkey's dancehalls. In fact, only ten people were in the library. Then he noticed a small red panda at the side of the library.

"Are you planning on playing with anyone sir," Po asked him. The red panda smiling shook his head.

"You know how to play chess then?" The red panda asked. Po scratched his head.

"A little bit. I know more of Chinese chess than regular chess. Would you mind teaching me some?" Po asked humbly. The red panda smiled greatly.

"I would be happy to."

"I'm Po by the way."

"Shifu," replied the red panda.

"It's good to meet you, Mr. Shifu," Po said shaking his hand.

"Just Shifu is good. Let's play then," Shifu smirked. It was a good game for a while. Po was right when he said he didn't know much about chess, and he could see that Shifu had quite a bit experience on it. The good thing about it was that Shifu would tell him which moves to play and why those moves were better. In time, Shifu found that Po was learning fast. He actually had to try on their last game. But as with many teachers and their students, the student surpassed the master.

"Checkmate," Po said. Shifu looked all around. His king was trapped. Shifu sighed in an unbelieving breath.

"You learn fast, Po," Shifu smiled. Po smiled back. Just then, someone came to Shifu's side. Po's eyes widened at the sight of her coming. She had just come out of the pool, Po could tell that. Her red two-piece bathing suit only seemed to make her entry more dramatic. The female tiger walked over to Mr. Shifu.

"Grandpa, it's time to eat," She told him. "Do you want me to get you something from the dining place?"

"Sure, a bowl of rice will do fine," Shifu smiled. He noticed Po's reaction to her entrance. "Tigress, this is Mr. Po. He's been playing chess with me and I would like you to meet him." Po nearly went into a panic for being put on the spot. He nervously shook her hand and smiled.

"It's nice to eat... I mean meet you," Po recovered. Since they were talking about food, Po had two things on his mind, Tigress and food. Tigress smiled at the blunder.

"Nice to meet you, too," Tigress replied. She found him cute, which has always been working for Po. Kind of handsome, a little on the lean side for a panda. Because Po was working so much, he usually didn't eat much. However on the cruise, he did realize how much he was lacking.

"This is your grandfather, Mrs. Tigress?" Po asked politely.

"Yes, and Tigress is just fine." Shifu, seeing an opportunity, smiled.

"Tigress, why don't you and Po go to the dining hall together. I can tell that Po's hungry and I do want some food," Shifu replied. Po and Tigress looked at the panda with harsh glares. They both knew what he was doing, but he was persistent. "Please," Shifu asked. It was then that Po and Tigress realized how cute red pandas can be. Tigress sighed.

"Okay, if it's no trouble with you, Mr. Po?"

"Just Po is fine, and yes, I would like to get to know more of you," Po paused. "And get some food," He quickly added embarrassed. Tigress continued to smile as they went to the dining hall. Shifu smiled as they went out the library.

"A very sneaky move my friend," said a voice behind him. "It almost reminds me of when you tricked me into happiness." Shifu turned around and his eyes widened.

"Tai-Lung," He smiled. "How's my favorite student?"

"Great, and I see you're still teaching," said the snow leopard. Shifu just smirked.

Meanwhile, down at one of the cafes on the ship, Tigress and Po ordered something and began to talk. "So you're a personal trainer," Po said. Tigress nodded proudly. "So that's why you have the body of a goddess." Po suddenly realized what he just said. "I mean, that's why you look well in shape," Tigress smirked at the panda's blunder.

"Do you always give compliments like that when you're nervous?" Tigress asked. Po nervously chuckled.

"No, not normally. I don't know what's wrong with me," Po replied.

"So what job do you have?" Tigress asked. Po looked worried.

"Um... I'm not really comfortable with telling people about my job," Po answered.

"Why?"

"Well, with this job, they expect me to have a large amount of money on hand but that's not the case," Po sighed. It was true, being a physician was very hard, socially. That's why doctors tended to talk and socialize with other doctors or people who understand the job. That didn't prevent Po from having lower-class friends. He volunteered several times at a soup kitchen and he had a very attractive personality.

"So... you're a stripper?" Tigress guessed. Po laughed.

"No no. The job I have isn't like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry that you feel that way. I guess I kind of understand. People always expect me to be in the best shape and that's not always the case. I love my job but I just wish people would stop watching my figure for me," Tigress sighed as their food came. Po looked around and then whispered to Tigress.

"But between you and me, I'm actually a doctor," Po replied.

"What kind?"

"Physician."

"Oh, then why did you have such a hard time talking to me?" Tigress honestly wondered. Po was wondering that too. He was a physician that saw both male and female and admittedly, the females did look attractive. Po also had the tendency of more women seeing him than men. Why was he so nervous? Po only shrugged.

"Nerves. I've been working so hard at my job that I'm still a little... jumpy," Po replied.

"Well, I actually did think you were a doctor," Tigress said. Po looked at her with a questioning look. "You smell like doctor supplies," Tigress smirked.

"You're serious," Po exclaimed a bit, "Doctor's Office Cha Le 25 is actually on me?"

"What?"

"Never mind, it was some joke someone made," Po brushed it aside. "A personal trainer. Could you help me? I seriously need to get in shape," Po muttered. Tigress looked at him skeptically.

"No offense Po, but you look like you've been starved. You shouldn't be that lean for a panda. Do you eat much?"

"Not really, but I do a lot of running around the hospital. It gets the smell of doctor supplies out," Po joked. Tigress smiled.

"But you should be okay with your weight. Plus, if you lose too much weight, you'll lose your cuddliness," Tigress smirked. Po rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"Thanks for your concern on my... plushness," Po smirked back. Tigress looked at the food she ordered.

"Well, I should be getting this stuff back to Grandpa. But if you want to talk more, it's barely sunset. We could go somewhere private and talk," She suggested. Po yawned a bit. "Or maybe you should recover from your sleepless nights," Tigress said giving a sideways smile.

"If you don't mind," Po smiled apologetically.

"Of course not, but if you want to catch up with me, I'll be on the top deck," She smiled and walked away. Po couldn't help stare at her backside. He shook his head awake and went to his room to rest. He opened the door, saw Monkey making out with a girl, and closed the door.

"Welp, looks like I'm going to the top deck," Po sighed, but he smiled. He would get a chance to see Tigress again.

 **Continued...**

]


	2. Cruise 2

Cruise 2

* * *

Tigress was relaxing on the top deck in her casual clothing. She looked at the sunset sinking over the horizon. "Working on your tan? I'm pretty sure that's not going to work at sunset," said a voice. Tigress turned around and saw Po sitting next to her in a deck chair.

"I thought you were going to rest," Tigress said.

"Yeah, but I have this other doctor friend who's a party animal and right now the room's occupied if you know what I mean," Po sighed.

"Oh, sorry about that. You must be really tired," Tigress said.

"Actually, I've never felt more awake. I guess being with you is kind of... energizing," Po replied. Tigress cleared her throat as she looked away for a moment. "Sorry if that's rude or-"

"No, it's fine. I just never had someone compliment me this much," Tigress confessed.

"Really?" Po said shocked.

"Well, not in the way you do it. Most times it's in a rude perverted way like someone slapping my butt for example," She growled while looking out at the horizon. Then she saw Po's frightened face. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. I understand that women go through a lot of stuff with men. It kind of makes me ashamed to be one," Po admitted.

"I don't mean to make you feel bad," Tigress said.

"I know." Po looked at the sunset. "It really is beautiful. I didn't think it would be this beautiful."

"You act as if you've never seen a sunset," Tigress said, "Have you been working that much?"

"I know what a sunset looks like. I just never thought it could be this beautiful," Po replied. They were silent for a moment. Then Po sat facing towards Tigress on the sundeck chair. "Your grandfather, he said he still worked when we were playing chess. What does he work as?"

"Oh, he's a professor near the place I live. I live with him so I can take care of him," Tigress explained.

"And where do you live? I mean, what state," Po asked. He didn't want to get too personal on the first day.

"I live in Florida," Tigress said, which greatly surprised Po. "My family moved from Bangkok to live in the United States. I could ask you the same question, though."

"True," Po replied. "Wait, how did you know I lived there?"

"You told me, just now," Tigress smirked. Po was about to say something but quickly found himself arrested.

"Okay, you got me. I used to live in New York, then I finally moved to Nashville," Po replied.

"That's a big change from the north city to the southern city," Tigress commented.

"Yeah," Po smiled. Tigress saw that the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon and the ship's lights came on. She turned towards Po.

"So what is it like to be a doctor," Tigress asked. "You must be very skilled and knowledgeable." Po seemed a little surprised.

"I could say the same about you," Po replied. "But being a doctor really just depends on how much you love helping people. I've been with and worked with a few, just a few, doctors who were just in it for the money and they didn't care for the patient. Most doctors care about the patients but the moment some political figure or hospital manager threatens to cut their pay and make the caring more affordable, they get really ticked off."

"And you?"

"I could care less about the money. All I want to do is make sure I ease the pain of people and help in the best way I can," Po replied. Tigress just sat there in awe as the panda explained his medical life.

"I've never heard someone so passionate about helping people," Tigress commented.

"Yeah, but it's why I'm here now," Po sighed. "I hope I'm not talking too much."

"It's fine. Why do you say the patients are the cause of you being here?"

"Because I work TOO much. I worry so much about other people that I don't really take care of myself. My head doctor told me that the vacation was so that I could learn to relax a bit and tend to my needs as well. And he hoped that me being with my friend, Dr. Monkey, would help. He's a children's doctor and he's relatively relaxed and cheerful." Po felt he was talking too much of himself. "So what about you? What's it like to be a personal trainer?"

"It's always challenging, which I love a good challenge."

"You should play chess with your grandfather sometimes," Po joked. Tigress smiled.

"I like getting people in shape and I also work with women a lot so they're able to protect themselves from predators," Tigress said.

"Wow, that's great."

"Yeah, but I do want to relax a bit. It takes a lot out of you when you're constantly working out. Sure I get use to it, but I like making some time for relaxation."

"And what do you do to relax?"

"Stretch, go to a spa sometimes, I really like swimming. What about you?"

"I... eat," Po tittered. Tigress smiled.

"What do you do to relax?"

"Well, I volunteer at a soup kitchen. Most times, I sleep when I can get some."

"That's it! You don't read a book, play an instrument, play a game, or workout? Well, you don't have to work out, you have to eat."

"I don't really have much to do outside of the hospital. Oh! I know. I talk with my patients," Po said. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"That's not relaxing."

"No, I mean, I talk with them, chat with them. I don't always get medical on a person."

"That's not acceptable. You need to learn how to relax," Tigress said. "And I know just the thing."

"What's that?"

"A dip in the sauna with me," Tigress said. Po stuttered.

"Well, I-"

"No buts. You're going to the hot tub and that's final. First thing tomorrow. We're still at sea on that day," Tigress replied.

"Tigress, I-"

"Please," Tigress asked. Po could usually say no to puppy eyes or cute gentle faces, but he found himself captivated by the plea of Tigress. He sighed.

"Fine."

"Great! What's your room number?"

"Huh?"

"I have to make sure that you don't flake out," Tigress replied. So Po reluctantly gave it to her. When Po finally got to his room, he noticed that Monkey wasn't there. He looked at the bed to see a note: _Gone for a while, will come back in the morning. Don't worry about me_. Po could also tell that the woman he was with saw the note as well because her lipstick was on it.

The next day, Po woke up. He always got up early in the morning. Something that he couldn't shake off. Then he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to see Tigress in her bathing suit. Po would always stutter when he saw her in that. "Ready?"

"But I didn't have breakfast yet," Po complained.

"Then what's that plate doing in there," Tigress said, spotting the plate on the floor. Po turned around and saw it. "Also, why do you have on your swimming trunks anyway."

"I um..."

"You really don't lie too well, do you?"

"I've been told I suck at it," Po sighed. Tigress grabbed Po's hand and rushed him to the hot tub. "Wait, we're going to the public ones near the pool?"

"Yeah."

"I know somewhere a little more... private," Po said, directing her this time. They made their way to a private hot tub, not really known by many people.

"How did you find this?"

"I wander a lot," Po said.

"Well, come on in," Tigress replied, already getting into the tub. Po took a deep breath and slowly went into the tub.

"Ahh, HA! Haha," Po finally relaxed.

"Feel better?" Tigress smirked.

"Yes," Po said lazily. "I never knew I was this tense." Tigress chuckled.

"Po, why did you want to find a private hot tub," She asked. Po looked away.

"I don't feel comfortable with many people noticing me. I had a habit of doing clumsy things in school and it always left me to getting laughed at. I didn't take it to heart. Sometimes, I would purposely do it to make people feel better. But nowadays I try not to get noticed as much," Po replied.

"Oh, well that explains a lot," Tigress realized.

"Why did you want to see me relaxed so much?" Po asked.

"It's not good to take care of the whole world and you yourself be forgotten," Tigress said sympathetically. Po smiled.

"Ah, this feels very good. I'm glad you dragged me here," Po said. Tigress became curious.

"Po, what is your love life like since you're a doctor," Tigress asked. Po's eyes popped opened. "I'm sorry if it's too personal."

"No, I was just taken off guard by that. It's kind of hard because, like I said before, everyone expects you to have this large amount of money. So I get a lot of women asking to be in a relationship and it turns out they're out for my funds. So I generally tell them I'm the janitor at the hospital," Po explained. "What about you?"

"Ha, everyone either runs away from me or thinks I would be too... judgmental if I was dating them."

"What do you mean?"

"When people hear 'personal trainer', they think I'm going to rearrange their eating habits and force them on a strict healthy diet," Tigress explained. "Truth is, I could care less what you eat. As long as YOU don't interfere with what I eat. Forcing people on a strict healthy diet is my job, not my life. If I don't get paid to do it, I'm not doing it. If they ask me then fine, but it's difficult for me."

"Okay, but what do you mean by judgmental?" Po asked.

"People also think that because I'm a personal trainer I don't like weak, thin, fat, short... basically anyone from the ideal person. They think I would judge them on their weight, strength, or whatever if I got closer to them," Tigress replied.

"But you don't?"

"Of course not. I could care less if I could wrestle down my own boyfriend. I don't need someone like me. I'll be honest that I kind of hate men who are strong, tall, and handsome."

"Oh no, I'm in trouble," Po joked. Tigress smiled. "But why?"

"When I use to work with men who were weak or wanted to lose weight after I trained them, they become more confident which should be good. But the problem is they don't know how to properly use that confidence. And they come out to be real jerks and bullies."

"So what kind of guy do you like?" Po asked.

"To be honest, someone who's just nice and great to be around," Tigress said. Po swam over to her side and looked her in the eyes.

"And what about me?"

"You're not like other men," Tigress replied. "So far, you've been the kind of guy I like, besides the funny fowl-ups you do." Po nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"HELLO!"

"AHH!" Po and Tigress jumped away from each other. Standing out on the side of the hot tub was a large snow leopard. Tigress huffed in annoyance.

"Uncle Tai-Lung why did you do that?" Tigress said. Uncle? Po thought. The man looked like his thirty-year-old brother and fit too. This must have been Tigress's inspiration to do physical training.

"I was just wondering how my niece is. And who may you be?" Tai-Lung asked Po.

"I'm Po," Po smiled.

"Nice to meet your boyfriend, Tigress. I knew you would make friends here," Tai-Lung cheekily said.

"I um..." Po found himself in a bind. Tigress was more readily prepared.

"We're not dating. We're just friends who are talking to each other. Now, why are you here?"

"Well, since you ask, I've been wondering what you were going to do for the first place we're stopping at?" Tigress looked a little confused at the question.

"I don't know. I hadn't considered it."

"I could show you around. I've know the islands we're going to. I could give you the back island tour," Po said. Tigress smiled.

"That would be lovely," Tigress replied.

"Okay! I'll leave you two alone," Tai-Lung said backing out of the conversation. Tigress and Po looked at each other and laughed nervously.

"Family," Tigress said.

"I know," Po replied.

 **Continued...**


	3. Cruise 3

Cruise 3

* * *

"That was very amazing," Tigress said excitedly. "I've never had that kind of experience going to the islands. It was truly eye opening. Especially how you haggled the price on that vendor." Po chuckled. Po and Tigress were going around the island of Cozumel, and they went to a vendor selling fruit. Po noticed, however, that they sold two types of fruit. $5 for oranges and $3 for "naranjas". For the tourists, there was no difference, but Po knew full well that that was robbery. So he asked the guy,

"Could we get some naranjes?" The vendor seemed upset that he saw through the ruse.

"We only sell oranges. We don't have naranjas," the vendor said. Po smirked and said something in Spanish that Tigress didn't understand. Whatever it was, it seemed to scare the vendor. He then sold the oranges for $3.

"What did you say to him that made him so nervous?" Tigress asked as they boarded the ship.

"I said, 'And I'm sure that the authorities will love to hear how someone on their island cheated the tourists.' It's bad for the island if they have incidents of the tourists getting affected by the islanders. Tourism is their main import. Now if the tourists act bad, the island can threaten to not allow people in, which hurts the cruise company, which also affects the jobs in the U.S. It's interesting how things work."

"I didn't know you speak Spanish," Tigress said, "What was wrong with what the vendor was selling?"

"The Spanish word for orange is Naranja," Po explained. Tigress instantly knew what happened.

"Wow, but wasn't it kind of bad threatening him?"

"Hey, he shouldn't have cheated people out of their money," Po said.

"I had a great time, though. You really did show me a side of the island I didn't know about. And helped me avoid high price items."

"Almost all the islands do that. Not the way the vendor did, but they usually spike up the prices when it's tourist season. That's why I know a lot about the islands so I can avoid doing that."

"I didn't think you had the time to do anything else, considering how stressful your work is," Tigress mentioned.

"I have a number of people who are from the islands. They tell me all about it," Po replied. "You learn a lot from listening to people." They made their way to the main promenade.

"So, what about the dinner? It's formal night," Tigress said. Po thought about it. Dinner time on a cruise isn't necessary to attend, but it does give a little high-class social time.

"Mine is at 7."

"Mine too. We could sit at the same table," Tigress replied. "Are your friends coming? I would like to meet them. Especially this, Dr. Monkey you keep talking about," Tigress smirked. Po nervously chuckled.

"Yeah, I think they're going to be there."

"Great. I'll be seeing you, later," Tigress replied with a smile. She went off to find her grandpa.

"See you," Po said. Tigress went to the library where she saw her grandpa and her uncle Tai-Lung playing chess. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"Don't you ever get tired of playing that game?"

"No," They both said. Tigress sighed.

"Anyways, I was coming to tell you that I'm not going to be eating with you today," Tigress replied.

"Oh, going out with a certain panda?" Shifu smiled. Tigress remained silent. "Ah well, we understand. We'll keep your seat warm."

"Thank you, grandpa," Tigress said. "I'll get myself ready." Then she went to her room.

"Hmm," Shifu murmured.

"What? Are you caught in my trap?" Tai-Lung smugly said, referring to the chess.

"I'm wondering about Tigress with this panda. Do you think they could make it long distance?" Shifu asked.

"No," Tai-Lung simply said. "Either he would have to move to where she was or you would have to move where he was."

"Why me?"

"Because Tigress lives with you."

"So I would have to change the entire playing field?" Shifu said.

"Correct, and checkmate," Tai-Lung smiled. Shifu sighed and shook his head.

Later, Po was the first at the table. He fiddled around with his tie. His dark brown suit seemed to heat him up very quickly, even though the dining room was fairly cold. "Hey, Po!"

"Ah! Oh, it's just you guys," Po sighed. Viper, Crane, and Monkey sat down around Po.

"Why are you so uptight? Did you get a message from the office," Viper said firmly. "I told you not to bring work with you."

"Oh no, it's not that. I... I'm expecting someone to come here," Po replied.

"Oh, and who's the man of the honor?" Monkey asked. Po looked at him.

"Well, it's good to see you again. I haven't seen you after I accidentally walked in on you and that-"

"Okay! We get it," Monkey interrupted. "So who is this guy you found?"

"Actually, it's a woman," Po shyly said. Everyone was shocked.

"And... you found her?" Monkey replied. Po rolled his eyes.

"Why are you so surprised? I see women all the time," Po said.

"Yeah, but you don't usually go on dates with them. Wait, is that why I didn't see you in the bedroom? You would usually go in there," Monkey said.

"We're not going on a date. We're just friends on a boat together," Po replied.

"Hello Po," Tigress said. Everyone looked at the stunning female Tigress. The simple red sparkling strapless dress caught everyone's eyes. Po stood up and offered up her seat.

"Hello, Tigress. Everyone this is Tigress," Po introduced. "Tigress, this is Crane and Viper and the famous Dr. Monkey."

"It's great to meet all of you," Tigress said sitting down. "Especially you, Dr. Monkey. Po's told me a lot about you."

"All good I hope," Monkey chuckled, "Um... where exactly did you meet Po?"

"The library, why?"

"Nothing, nothing," Monkey recovered.

"So, Tigress, how have you and Po been getting along?" Crane asked.

"It's been great. He's been a great tour guide when we got to Cozumel."

"You got him off the boat?!" Viper exclaimed. "That's remarkable!"

"Why?"

"They're just teasing me," Po muttered. "I don't usually go out much."

'Try never," Viper replied.

"Well, he's been great to be around so far," Tigress smiled. Po nervously smiled back.

"Hehe, hey, why don't we get something to eat?" Po said, directing the attention elsewhere.

After the dinner was done, the group all went their different ways. Tigress and Po walked through the garden of the ship. The lights from the nearby shops and walkway lights set the mood. "I really liked your friends and you were right about Monkey," Tigress smirked.

"Yeah, he means well, though," Po replied.

"It's really been fun with you, Po. I haven't really had something like this in a while. You've really opened my eyes to different things," Tigress said.

"Come on, I only took you around the island and introduced you to my friends," Po said humbly.

"Yeah, but you've really been an interesting person," Tigress said. "I look forward to seeing you around on the ship later on."

"Hey, maybe we can get together and see a movie. I heard they have a theater," Po suggested.

"You like movies?"

"Not really," Po said, "But I'm willing to try if you want to," Tigress smiled.

"It's okay, I don't really like movie theaters either. I'm more of a watch stuff at home person," Tigress said. They finally got to Tigress's room. "Well, this is me. Thanks for introducing me to your friends. They were really nice."

"You're welcome," Po smiled. Tigress kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight Po." She smiled going into her room.

"Goodnight," Po replied. He stood at the door for a while then went to his room. Dr. Monkey was in there going to bed.

"See, I told you wandering would do you good. And she's smoking hot," Monkey smirked.

"Yeah, hey why did you ask her where we met?" Po asked.

"Because I'm wondering if there are more ladies like that here," Monkey smirked. Po sighed and facepalmed his head.

 **Continued**


	4. Cruise 4

Cruise 4

* * *

Po was on the top deck. It was really early in the morning and the wind was very gusty in the front part of the ship where he was. He could barely hear the person coming up behind him. "Po?"

"Tigress? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be exercising?" Her face became emotionless. Po instantly realized his mistake. "I mean, I don't mean to watch your weight, but you usually exercise first."

"Well, I finally figured out where this place was."

"Oh, I could have told you. I've been everywhere on this ship," Po explained.

"Really?"

"Of course, stick with me and I'll show you how to get into shows without having to make reservations," Po said cheekily. Tigress laughed.

"Is that a smile on your face? I didn't know you could do that," Tigress teased. Po chuckled lightly. "You certainly do get around, though."

"I wander a lot," Po said, resting his weight on the railing. Tigress did the same next to him.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I can't stay in one place for a while. It's my... doctor's curse," Po replied.

"'Doctor's Curse'?"

"It's something that means we race around doing work all the time that our legs are on autopilot. Some doctors don't have it, though," Po explained. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your... what were you doing?"

"I was just going to see how this place is. It's very windy!" Tigress yelled.

"I know somewhere it's not as windy," Po replied. So they made their way to the back of the ship near a place where the water theater was. There was a place behind it used for shuffleboard. "Here we go."

"Wow, you really do know your way around the boat. I guess that curse comes in handy."

"Sometimes. Other times, it just reminds me I'm wandering alone. Even with this crowd of people, it does feel like I'm an island," Po said. He looked at Tigress's sad face. "Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I usually get... depressive from time to time. I didn't mean to guilt trip you."

"No, it's fine. You just spoke the truth. Why don't we get something for you to eat?" Tigress suggested. Po agreed and followed Tigress to the food court where they had a huge diversity of food. "Slow down, Po," Tigress chuckled.

"Sorry, I haven't eaten any breakfast," Po panted, trying to eat and talk at the same time. "Wait, what time is it?"

"About 9:00 am." Po grabbed Tigress's hand.

"Come on, I want you to see something," Po said. He hastily dragged the tiger back to the aqua theater. She noticed a crowd surrounding the theater. Po and Tigress sat rather close to the stage. Suddenly, the waterworks started with the sound of music next to it. The fountain shot water high into the air.

"Wow!" Tigress said amazed. Then the water came down on them. "AHHH!" Tigress screamed excitedly as the water splashed onto both of them. Po laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot about it," Po said.

"It's alright," Tigress said, taking off her shirt. "I did want to have a chance to show off my new bathing suit." Po sat there with his mouth dropped. Her blue two piece swimming suit was absolutely stunning. Tigress noticed him staring at her. "You know, I'm going to have to take a dip in the pool if you keep staring at me like that. You'll set them on fire." Po instantly blushed and looked away. "Do I really look that pretty to you?"

"Of course! You're absolutely beautiful," Po quickly said without hesitation. Tigress blushed but smiled.

"Thanks, Po," She said kissing him on the cheek, "You look good yourself." Po sheepishly smiled. "You know, I've wanted to ask you a question."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I know you don't really have a love life, but have you ever had a girlfriend or significant other?" Tigress asked. Po sighed.

"No, I've either been too busy or not in the range of the other woman." Po could see that Tigress seemed to be getting a little anxious.

"So... that would mean... if we WERE in a relationship... I would be your first?" Tigress asked cautiously. Po rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah," He replied slowly. "You would." Tigress's eyes popped open. "But I'm sure that you've had hundreds of men asking you out."

"Unfortunately," Tigress huffed. "And I have a tendency of attracting some of the most ignorant and irritating men around."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Po replied.

"But let's get off the subject. Viper and Crane, how did they meet?"

"Well, Viper use to be my assistant nurse. Crane, one day, came in because of some chronic pain. Turns out it was work related. After they met, they started dating, got married, and then Crane came in because of some (Ahem) chronic BACK pain."

"Oh," Tigress laughed. "I see. And Monkey is usually the party guy?" Po nodded. "So why are you so lonely? You're surrounded by friends."

"With Viper and Crane, I would feel like a third wheel. Monkey is an exciting kind of guy and I'm not like him. I like easy and quiet, which does make me a little boring."

"Nonsense, you're not boring. A boring person wouldn't be able to find private places all over the ship, haggle a vendor's price, and be such a great gentleman at it," Tigress commented. She realized what she said and blushed a bit. Po did the same.

"Thanks, Tigress," Po replied. "Here's a weird question. Do you know how to play chess?" Tigress rolled her eyes.

"My grandpa is the Chessmaster at the university and I live with him. What do you think?" Tigress remarked.

"I don't know. You may not have been interested in the game," Po replied.

"I know how to play it. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering. By the way, why do you live so close to your grandpa?" Po asked. Tigress became silent.

"My parents were away a lot and they left me with my grandpa, who practically raised me. By the time I was out of college, I decided to stay with him," Tigress sighed. "What about you?"

"Other than my dad, I didn't really have that much of a family. I've been the lone guy for as long as I can remember. It's kind of my thing," Po joked. Tigress smiled. She rested her hand in Po's hand.

"Not anymore. You have me," She said quietly. Po smiled back.

"Yes, I do have you," Po replied. For now anyways. Po knew that the cruise would soon be over and he would have to decide whether or not to keep this thing between them going after they left. Po shook the thought from his mind. "Come on, let's get you dried."

 **Continued...**


	5. Cruise 5

Cruise 5

* * *

It all came too soon. It was the last day of the seven-day cruise. Po and the others were already packed and ready for tomorrow. Now he was just in the back of the ship, looking at the sunset. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Tigress said, coming up behind him.

"Yes, it is," Po sighed.

"Wow, that's the first time I've said something like that and the guy didn't say, 'not as beautiful as you'," Po smiled.

"I've got to surprise you some way," Po said. Tigress chuckled as she sat next to him. "Our last day. It's been such an amazing cruise. And I wouldn't have had it had it not been for you, Tigress," He said sweetly. Tigress gasped a bit at hearing something so meaningful. She smiled widely. "Your smile is something I'm going to miss a lot."

"And I'm going to miss your cuddliness," Tigress smirked, hugging him. Po chuckled as she released him. Po looked Tigress in the eyes and seemed to be deciding something. "What is it, Po?" Without warning, Po kissed Tigress on the lips. Tigress was greatly surprised. She yelped a bit as Po kissed her. She slowly realized what was happening and reciprocated the kiss. She carefully caressed his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around her waist. When the air called them, they parted from each other's lips. "What was that for?" Tigress asked, out of breath and blushing. Po smiled as he rested his forehead on hers.

"I didn't want to leave this ship having not kissed the most beautiful woman on it," Po said. Tigress blushed brighter. She could only smile and kiss him again. After they parted, this time, they looked at each other with serious and worried faces.

"Do you think we could make this work long distance?" Tigress asked. Her body seemed hopeful, but her face showed that she knew the answer. Po sighed. He knew that with his busy lifestyle that it wouldn't be right for Tigress to have to sacrifice the time and effort just to get a phone call from him. Tigress deserved someone she could spend time face to face with, not a metal phone. Po sighed again. He only had to look at Tigress with his regretful and sad eyes. Tigress sighed as well. "Yeah, I didn't think so either." She took something out of her purse, wrote on it, and handed it to Po. "But you can still contact me."

"I'll try," Po smiled bravely. Tigress did the same. They both wanted to be more than just literally distant friends. They hugged each other one last time. "I'm going to miss you, Tigress."

"I'll miss you too, Po," She said. Tigress tried her best not to cry.

The day finally came. They went through customs and the formalities. Fortunately, Po got to see Tigress and Shifu get into a taxi to the airport. Tigress looked sadly at Po through the glass window. They both waved goodbye as the car left. Shifu noticed Tigress's sad demeanor. "What's wrong, Tigress?"

"Nothing, grandpa. I just... I really liked being with Po and... I'm going to miss him," Tigress sighed. Shifu sighed as well. Then he thought of something brilliant.

Three weeks after the cruise and everything was back to normal. Relatively speaking. Po was still sad about Tigress not being around. With her around, he never felt more alive and more excited. Po tried extra hard to forget her, but it was showing up in his work. He would accidentally call some of his woman patients Tigress. Not that they really mind, although, the nurses did start to notice it. It was also during those three weeks that Po got promoted to head doctor as Dr. Oogway was retiring. Po still had to work, but he was accustom to that. Everyone was proud and excited for Po, but Po just couldn't be happy about it. He still thought about Tigress. One day, Monkey had stopped in for a lunch break with Po. They went to a Mexican diner to talk. Monkey mainly talked about the cruise, something Po was trying to forget. "And do remember the time we were in that dance competition and you actually won. HAHA! Oh, that was funny," Monkey laughed. Po smiled. The only reason he did that was because Tigress challenged him to.

"Yeah, I remember," Po sighed.

"Come on, Po. You have everything going for you. And you're going to let the fact that you lost a 'friend' get you down," Monkey argued.

"I know I shouldn't be sad but she was really one of a kind. I shouldn't have let her go," Po said.

"What about her contacts? Have you been calling her, texting her, anything?"

"She hasn't responded. I guess she either gave me the wrong one or... she already moved on." Monkey shook his head.

"Look, Po. I'm sorry that this happened to you, but you can't be so down about it. You went on that cruise to get rid of the stress. Now you've come back with depression," Monkey said, "Just please tell me you'll try to perk up."

"I'll try," Po promised. He looked at the clock. "I have to go."

"You always do," Monkey sighed. Po paid for his part of the meal and went to the hospital to work again. It was upon entering the office that he got a strange call from the front desk.

"Dr. Po, a woman here is requesting that you check-up on her. She's a walk-in," said the receptionist. "She also says it's very important that she see only you." That was definitely weird to hear. "Should I send her away?"

"No, let me see her and figure out what the problem is. What's her name?"

"She wouldn't give me her first name, but she said her last name was Xiang," the receptionist said. Po just dismissed it as a paranoid woman. So he decided to bulk up and meet this strange woman. He entered the room, looking at the clipboard.

"Okay, Miss Xiang what seems to be the problem?"

"Well, the problem is that I'm sick with a special disease."

"Oh, and what's that?" Po asked, not even looking at the woman.

"It's called 'MissingPo disease'," She said. Po looked up and saw who the woman was.

"Tigress!" Po exclaimed. There was Tigress with a small smile on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"My grandpa got a better-paying teaching job here, and I moved with him. When I figured out where you were, I had to come visit you. I just finished moving in. Sorry, I didn't call you or message you back, but I wanted to surprise you."

"Consider me surprised," Po smiled. Then he hugged her. "I missed you."

"I know. I ran into several people on the way here. Viper told me how you were acting. I also bumped into one of your female patients. She asked me who I was and when I told her she said, 'so you're the woman that Dr. Po's been mistaking us for.'" Po looked away ashamed. "Did you really miss me that much?"

"Yes," Po said without hesitation. Tigress caressed his soft cheek.

"I missed you too. I couldn't wait to come and visit you," Tigress said. Then her smile turned mischievous. "I think you and I need to catch up today."

"Tigress, I'm at work now. I can't-" He stopped short when he looked at Tigress's pleading eyes. "You know what, I think I need to take a break," Tigress smiled. "Miss Leng?" Po called his receptionist. "Can you have my replacements take my appointments for the next two days." He felt Tigress tug at his collar. "I mean, for the rest of the week-" He heard Tigress purr, signaling it still wasn't enough. "And a half. I'm taking a little break."

"THANK YOU!" Miss Leng shouted, bursting through the door. "I thought I would never see the day!" She began kissing Tigress's feet. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU! We've been trying to get this guy to start relaxing for YEARS. It was only by a miracle that he went on the cruise! Even the patients have been trying to get him to relax!"

"Why do you care if I relax?" Po asked.

"Because we're tired of seeing you work so hard for others that you don't take care of yourself. You're a skinny panda for Pete's sake!" Leng explained. "Look, I'll even have Dr. Monkey replace you so you can have two weeks off. And thank you so much for getting him to relax!" Then the female duck whispered two words to Po. "Marry her!" With that, the duck gleefully went to make the arrangements leaving Po greatly embarrassed and blushing. Tigress couldn't help but laugh.

"Looks like you're about to break your habit of never resting," Tigress smiled. Po grinned sheepishly. Tigress kissed Po on the lips. Po was greatly surprised. "I said we had to catch up," Tigress said smiling. Po smiled back. Then his stomach growled. "And you need to fatten up. I don't want you to lose your cuddliness." Tigress smirked.

"Hehe, I missed you," Po whispered with a content smile.

"And I missed you too," Tigress said, resting her head on his chest.

"Here's an awkward question," Po said nervously. "Do you still have that red bathing suit when we first met?" Tigress only chuckled seductively.

"I'm wearing it underneath this," She said. Po reddened.

"I think we're going to need more than two weeks. Or at the very least another cruise," Po quickly said. Tigress shook her head as she kissed him again.

 **The End, or so I thought**

 **Sorry if Po and Tigress were OOC, I wanted to do something unexpected.**


	6. Cruise 6

Cruise Again

* * *

Po was happy, extremely happy. This whole two years had been blissful. A promotion, being on one of the best cruises of his life, and now he was in a relationship with the most beautiful person he had ever met, Tigress. He was standing on the balcony looking at the sea. The ship wouldn't be leaving after they did the drill. Po just continued to smile at the bustling port of the cruise. "Pleasant sight, isn't it?" said a voice behind him. Crane came up behind him. Po sighed as he looked on the horizon.

"Yeah," He smiled. Crane just shook his head with a smirk.

"That smile on your face has really been plastered on ever since Tigress moved to your area. Doesn't it hurt by now?" Crane joked.

"To be honest, a little bit. But I'm just... happy," Po replied. Crane smiled back.

"Just remember there is the reality of the situation," Crane warned. Po was confused. "Yes there are many great things in an intimate relationship, but there are also many pitfalls. Just make sure you guys one, go through the pitfalls together, and two, ask for help if you need it. Love nowadays is something everyone wants but no one wants to work for it."

"I'll try my best," Po replied. "Come on, we better get to the muster station."

Tigress, Dr. Po, Crane, Viper, and Dr. Monkey had agreed to take another cruise. Crane and Po would sleep in one room and Tigress and Viper in the other. Though Viper and Crane did want some alone time together, Po and Tigress were very... adamant about not sleeping in the same bed. They said the temptation would be too great for them. "Plus," Po added, "There a lot of places for you two to be alone," He smirked. Tigress and Po had been dating each other for two years now. Po was still the head doctor at the hospital. Tigress had decided to change career settings and became a physical therapist. She and Po would often work together helping patients. As a result, they had a reputation of being one of the best in their fields. Dr. Monkey was in a room by himself, not that he mind. He was still much a party animal. There was also something special that was going to take place on this cruise. As Po and Crane finishing up the muster station drill, Crane immediately got up.

"Well, I'm off to go find Viper, see you," He said flying off to see Viper. Po shook his head as he traveled around the ship. He didn't know where Tigress was but he knew where her room was. As Po went to Tigress's room, which I may mention is right next to his room, Po found an envelope with three claw marks on it. That was their sign of communication. Po never really explained it to the others. Po opened the envelope.

 _This is a riddle to see if you really do know me. I stand and fight with the bishop and the knight._

Po knew she was talking about the card room. Po also knew that he had to hurry. This many people on one ship and the fact that the crew members clean the ship frequently means that the envelope may have been taken or discarded. Being excellent at maps and knowing the ship pretty well, (The ship had the same design as the previous one) Po got to the card room. It was a little smaller than the one he remembered on the other ship. Po could see it was empty too. Po looked in the drawers of the chess tables and finally found the envelope.

 _If you've found this well done, now it's time to go forward and do a little run._

That got confused Po for a moment, then he remembered there was a track course. He guessed it would be in the front of the ship. Po groaned. He was in back and ship was huge. He got on the elevator, went down to the jogging track, ran to the front to see the door to the gym. Po looked all around. No note. He walked to the front desk. Before he could even say anything, the kind bunny at the desk asked. "Are you Dr. Po?"

"Yes," Po replied.

"A female tiger wanted me to give you this," he said. Po took the letter, opened it, and read it.

 _Good for you, your reward is in full, now go to get a drink at the carnival._

Po grimaced. The ship had a special open place where it was fashioned from an old-fashioned amusement pier. It was called the Boardwalk. It had a handmade carousel with old style shops and restaurants surrounding it. It also had the big aqua theater and two massive rock climbing walls. Po groaned because it was in the back of the ship! Not only that, it was on the 6th deck where he was, but there was no way straight to the front from the back on this deck without using the staterooms' hallway. Po sighed and ran through the hallway, ducking and dodging several packages and luggage. He finally got to back where he saw the carousel. He remembered that the letter said drinks so Po looked at one of the bars. Yet again, the bartender looked at Po and asked.

"Are you Dr. Po?"

"Don't tell me, a female tiger gave you a letter for me?" Po guessed. The bartender nodded and gave him the letter.

 _Stop running around and sit back, take a drink, and smell the roses._

Po sighed again. It was obviously the botanic gardens. Po walked up the flight of stairs because the elevators were crowded. He made it to the 8th deck. He walked through the botanic gardens with the lovely and exotic plants, flowers, and roses. He saw Tigress in her casual clothing sitting at a bar. Po looked around to make sure it was Tigress. He quietly came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "GOTCHA!"

"AH!" Tigress squealed in surprise. She turned around in his arms and hit him on the arm playfully. "Po, don't scare me like that!"

"I think you deserve it, considering you had me chasing you around the entire ship, you cheeky cat," Po muttered. Tigress just grinned ever so innocently. "You're lucky I'm too tired to stay angry."

"Sorry," Tigress apologized, kissing him on the cheek. Po sat down next to her. "Could I have a virgin strawberry daiquiri?"

"I'll just have a glass of water," Po panted. The bartender gave them their drinks. "Now tell me again why you don't drink?"

"I don't like looking like an idiot in front of the public," Tigress said.

"And you never drank in your life, right?" Po asked.

"Never," Tigress said. "What about you? Why haven't you drunk?"

"I've lost too many friends for me to drink. I've lost too many friends to alcohol," Po said somberly.

"I'm sorry you've been through that," Tigress said sadly. Po hugged her from the side.

"I'm fine," He smiled. "Excuse me, could I get a virgin bloody mary?" Po had learned about different drinks before and knew that all of them could be done without alcohol. But he never knew what was in them without it. The bartender and Tigress looked at him with surprised faces. The bartender finally made his drink and gave it to him. Once Po had a sip, he winced. "It's tomato juice," He exclaimed in surprise. Tigress laughed.

"You didn't know that?" Tigress said.

"No, I thought it would have cherries or raspberries or something. Yeck!" Po grimaced. This made the bartender and Tigress laugh. "Now I'm afraid to ask for a virgin Sherly Temple."

"That's a soda," Tigress explained. Po grimaced.

"Well, this is good for my prostate," Po said, downing the juice in one. "Ugh!"

"Hehe, so what are your plans," Tigress asked.

"You mean our plans," Po replied, "I'm not going to do my walking alone routine again". Tigress smiled. She simply shrugged, meaning she didn't know. "By the way, why didn't you go to your room. I thought we were going to meet there."

"One, I wanted to give you some... pre-cruise exercise. I mean, you're still thin but we need to work on your stamina," Tigress replied. "Two, the moment we finished the drill, Crane bursts in, I get shoved out of my room by Viper, and the next noise I hear from outside my room is 'thump thump'." Po couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry you had to be rudely evacuated," Po sympathized. Tigress held his hand.

"At least I'm with you," Tigress said kissing him on the lips.

"Alright, you two. I'm glad you're together but please, there are children here," The bartender politely said.

"At a bar?" Po reasoned.

"Good point, carry on," The bartender said, going into the back.

 **Continued...**


	7. Cruise Again 2

Cruise Again 2

* * *

Po was up early the next morning. The group had decided to switch rooms for the night. Po bunked in with Monkey while Tigress slept in Crane and Po's room. Upon coming back, Tigress could see that Crane and Viper were still... busy. But Po was up the next morning, got his swimming trunks on, and went to the back of the ship on deck 14. This is known as the Sports area. Here, they had zip lines, basketball courts, mini golfing, ping-pong tables, and two special things called "Flowriders". They allow people to surf on the ship, and surprisingly, that's what Po was about to do. He knew that the Flowrider would be less crowded in the morning because most people were getting food or working out. "You're here for the Flowrider?" Asked the gentleman at the machine. Po nodded. "Do you know how to surf?" Po shrugged. "Okay, let's see what you got." Po got on the board. "Now you want to be very-" Before the man could finish, Po let go of the man and began surfing like a pro.

Pretty soon, a crowd had gathered around the Flowrider. Po began doing spins on the Flowrider. He even stood on one foot and spread his arms and legs like a ballerina. He also surfed around to make the water splash onto people who were waiting. When he finally decided he had enough, he pulled back and exited the Flowrider. "That was awesome!" Said a small orange cat kid. Po smiled and left the Flowrider.

"I didn't know you could surf." Said a voice behind him. Po turned around to see Tigress with a shocked face. Po nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"You saw that?"

"From the breakfast buffet. Imagine my surprise to see a surfing pro that is my boyfriend," Tigress smirked. "Why didn't you tell me you could surf? And surf well at that?"

"Eh, I don't like telling people about myself much. You know how I am," Po replied. Tigress nodded. He never really liked talking about himself. It made him seem little show-offy.

"Why did you do it so early? I knocked on the door and neither you or Monkey were there. I assumed you went to the breakfast buffet," Tigress asked.

"I don't like many people seeing me, but that kind of defeats the purpose when I attracted so many people," Po replied.

"And you barely got wet, too," Tigress pointed out. Po's stomach growled. "Come on, let's get you something to eat." So they went to the breakfast buffet and sat there. It was always packed during the 9-10 am. "Where did you learn to surf like that?" Tigress asked.

"I use to go to a place in upper Nashville that had a similar surfing machine. A friend of mine told me about it and I decided to go there," Po replied.

"Where was I when this happened?" Tigress asked. Po shrugged.

"What can I say? You've had a positive influence on me. I've been trying to get out more ever since you've moved to Nashville." Tigress smiled.

"So, you're still in your trunks. After you eat, we could go to the Solarium and hang out," Tigress suggested. Before Po could protest, Tigress added, "Don't worry, we'll go around midday. Right now, we have the whole ship to ourselves and you know it better than me." Po looked at the ship's itinerary for the day.

"Well, there's nothing really going on. So, we can just walk around," Po suggested. Then he snapped his fingers. "Hey, I know a place we can go."

It really wasn't a surprise that Tigress found herself at the card room. She frowned as Po was a little giddy about it. "Po! This isn't what I thought you meant by someplace we could go."

"Hmm? Oh, I didn't mean that. I'm trying to figure out something I keep hearing," Po replied. Suddenly, they both heard something like a kid messing around on the piano. "Come on." They went up one deck to see a special place for kids. There he saw a little kid playing with a step piano. "Oh, so that's what it is." Curious, Tigress walked up to the piano and starting stepping on it. Now, the thing is only about a full octave, so it went from middle C to 2nd high C. But she fiddled around with it and slowly there was music being made from the foot piano. Several parents who were around started clapping when she was done. Po smiled widely. "I didn't know you could play the piano."

"My grandfather used to teach me," Tigress explained. Po sat down on the steps for a while. "What's up?"

"There's something I want to ask you about your... Uncle Tai-Lung."

"What about him?"

"How is he your uncle?" Po asked. Tigress laughed.

"He's actually my grandfather's former student, but he hung around him a lot. I accidentally called him 'uncle' one day, and I've been calling him Uncle Tai-Lung ever since." Tigress explained.

"And what is he to you?" Po questioned. Tigress's head jerked back a bit.

"Are you... jealous of him?" Tigress asked.

"No! What made you think that?"

"Because usually, people don't ask that kind of question unless they feel threatened by someone," Tigress said.

"I'm just trying to learn more about you," Po honestly said. Tigress slowly let it go.

"He's more of a... an annoying big brother to me," Tigress replied. Po laughed.

"Well, uncles do have that tendency from time to time," Po replied. Then he got back on the previous subject. "Why would I be jealous of him? There's obviously a family relationship there."

"I just found it weird how you phrased it. If you had asked me what is he like, I probably wouldn't have asked," Tigress explained.

"Okay, well, now where do we go?" Po asked. Tigress thought about it.

"Actually, I was thinking of doing a little challenge. It's more or less for me than you," Tigress said.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I want to see entire ship," Tigress said. Po groaned.

"You've got to be kidding me. Tigress, I know I have my doctor's curse, but that doesn't mean I willingly do it."

"Okay, how about we work our way up? We go from deck 2-5 and do deck 6-12 after we have lunch," Tigress suggested.

"Tigress, 2 and 3 only have the banquet hall."

"I know, but I want to see it without the crowd," Tigress said.

"Why do you want to do this?" Po asked.

"Because I want to know how it's like when you wander around," Tigress said sympathetically. Po smiled.

"I don't wander anymore. With you, I know where I'm going," Po said. Tigress smirked.

"Charmer," She joked. While they were laughing, Tigress noticed a married couple walking by holding each other's hands. She could see their rings on their hands. Po noticed her change from happy to emotionless.

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. Come on, let's grab the elevator and start," She said brushing the incident away.

Their wandering got a little interesting when they got to the 4th deck. There they found the ice rink. The people skating around aimlessly almost made Po laugh out loud. Then both of them recognized someone. There, slipping and sliding on the ice was Dr. Monkey, but someone was with him. A short red female fox, who was skating like a pro. When their session was finally over, Tigress and Po walked over to them. "Hey, Monkey," Po greeted.

"Oh, hey Po, Tigress, what's up?" Monkey smiled widely.

"Um... we were just walking around and then we found you," Tigress explained.

"Oh, that's good," Monkey simply said. It was quiet for a while. Then the fox purposely coughed. "Oh, right," Monkey said slapping his head, "This is Mai. I found her at the library near the card room." Po covered his mouth so he wouldn't laugh. "Don't. Say. Anything, Po," Monkey threatened. Po breathed in and had to turn around to not be rude.

"So, how have you been doing with Monkey, Mrs. Mai," Tigress asked, completely clueless as to why Po was laughing.

"It's been great. He's very funny to be around. And quite the charmer," Mai smirked. Po finally got his laughing under control, but he still held his smirk.

"So, Mrs. Mai, how _did_ you meet each other in the library?"

"Po, shut up," Monkey grunted out.

"You needn't worry about those two. They fight like brothers from time to time," Tigress explained.

"Good to know, and please just call me Mai," The fox said.

"Well, if there are no more questions, Mai and I will be going now," Monkey quickly said. With that, the two were gone. Tigress glared at Po.

"What?" Po asked, laughing.

"What was so funny?" Tigress asked.

"Okay, remember when Monkey asked you where you and I met? Well, the reason why he asked that is because he wanted to figure out if there were any more hot and gorgeous women like you."

"He did not say that," Tigress said. She knew Monkey enough to know what he would say and wouldn't say.

"Yeah, but that's what I say about you," Po smirked. Tigress rolled her eyes, but she was flattered nonetheless. "So I just found it funny that he found this lady, not at his usual dancehalls, but in the library. He teased me so I teased him," Po smiled. Tigress shook her head.

"You two are brothers at heart," Tigress murmured.

 **continued...**


	8. Cruise 8

Cruise Again 3

* * *

"Okay, on to 6-12," Po said excitedly after the break. Tigress smiled at his childishness. "I'm glad you wanted to do this. It really does make me feel closer to you."

"Yes, it does. However, the interaction between you and Monkey was something I didn't expect," Tigress said, glaring at Po with a smirk.

"I said I was sorry," Po said apologetically. They were in the back of the ship which had the Boardwalk. "Now that I actually have time to see this place, it really does seem old style. Oh! There's an old 50's shop." They went inside and drank some delicious milkshakes. "Mmmm, yummy."

"Mm-hm," Tigress hummed. Po chuckled a bit at seeing Tigress's milkshake mustache.

"You have some milkshake on your mouth," Po said. Tigress became mischievous.

"Oh dear, could you help get it off," She said, pretending to be cuter than normal. Po smirked and kissed her. "Hmm, is it off?"

"Yeah, it's off," Po replied. "Now, off to the other places." Deck 7 didn't have anything. Deck 8 had the lovely Central Park. Po began hurrying a bit. He had seen almost all of this ship.

"Po, slow down," Tigress said. Deck 9 didn't have anything nor deck 10. Deck 11 had the library, where surprisingly Viper and Crane were.

"Viper? Crane? What are you doing here?" Po asked.

"We can go outside our rooms, can't we?" Viper replied.

"I mean, last we saw you two you were-"

"What you were doing is not important," Tigress quickly said, covering Po's mouth. "We're just surprised to see you in the library."

"Well, after hearing how much Dr. Monkey teased Po about it, we wanted to see it for ourselves," Crane replied. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're just browsing around. There's nothing much to do in the morning time," Po explained.

"What are you guys planning to do when we get to land?" Crane asked.

"I really don't know yet," Po replied. "St. Maarten is a pretty diverse island."

"Monkey said something about having a brother there. Maybe he could show you guys around."

"What are you guys going to do on the boat?" Tigress asked. Viper and Crane glanced at each other and smirked. "Actually, don't answer that question. Po and I need to get going." With that, Po and Tigress hastily got out of the library. As they climbed the stairs, Tigress groaned a bit. "I wish those two wouldn't be so lovey-dovey. It's really annoying," Tigress muttered. Po was surprised. Usually, Tigress was very happy for the couple. If it got on her nerves, something was wrong. But before he could ask, Tigress rushed him on. "Come on, let's get going."

Deck 12 had nothing. Deck 14 had their favorite card room. "Why does it skip 13?" Po asked.

"I don't know. Someone forgot?" Tigress shrugged. Deck 15 was the pool area, sports area, and the Solarium. "Well, why don't we leave the last two decks for tomorrow? Right now, why don't we take a dip in the hot tub?"

"Wait, you don't-" Almost in a blink of an eye, Tigress had shed her extra clothes and showed her bathing suit. She laughed Po's shocked expression. "You never cease to amaze me." Soon, they were in the pool. "Ahh, soothing," Po lazily said. Then he remembered what happened with Tigress and the couple. "Tigress, why were you so upset with Viper and Crane?" Tigress sighed.

"I guess I'm just a little... jealous," Tigress said. Po's ears perked up.

"What do you mean?" Po asked.

"I mean, I know we're in a relationship and understand I don't want to rush anything, but... I just want to have the...physical attachment they have," Tigress said. Po and Tigress both had boundaries in their relationship. They wanted to save the physical attachment for when they became more committed. It made sense to Po how she was jealous of Viper and Crane. The ship was practically their... private room and Tigress had to see them almost blatantly talk about it. Po's face looked a little sad, which alarmed Tigress. "Po, I didn't mean to make you feel guilty or anything. I just-"

"No, I understand. It's something that's been bothering me as well. I was just surprised that you felt the same way," Po said. Po swam over to her and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, if everything goes well for us, we'll be just like them."

"Actually, I don't want to be just like them."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be causing the 'boat to rock'," Tigress smirked. Po nervously chuckled.

"Hehe, well you know what I mean," Po said. Tigress snuggled into Po's neck.

"I don't want to rush things between us, but the temptation is... very great," Tigress said, "And it's very frustrating."

"Well, why don't we just let our troubles melt away in the water," Po suggested. Tigress smirked.

"Since when did you get so laid back," Tigress asked.

"Since you came into my life. I mean, come on! You got me to do a dance contest! If that doesn't show how you've influenced my life, I don't know what is," Po said. "I just wish I could have helped you the same way you've helped me."

"You've helped me," Tigress said, "You're like a hidden gem in a rocky place. You keep saying that you're not interesting but I keep finding out more about you every day." Po smiled.

"Thanks Tigress."

 **Continued...**


	9. Cruise 9

Cruise Again 4

* * *

"Well, that was exciting," Tigress sighed getting back on the boat with Po from their stop in Haiti. "That was definitely a tourist trap. And the sellers were so aggressive."

"One, you can't blame them, they need to make a living. Two, that wasn't the main island of Haiti, remember," Po corrected. They had just visited a part of Haiti owned by the cruise company. The mainland was far away. The cruise company owned all of this part of the island. "What kills me is that as many vendors and craft sellers they had, they were all selling the same stuff. There wasn't even any difference in the price."

"Which is why I'm glad I went through that village with you," Tigress sighed. "Viper and Crane had the right idea of staying on the boat. At least they took a break at Puerto Rico. St. Maarten was very nice. But boy, those sellers were something else. I'm so glad you were able to talk that vendor out."

"It wasn't easy," Po sighed. "He was very aggressive to get a sell. It's a good thing all of them only take cash. Otherwise, I couldn't lie about us having no money."

"Then everything is priced so high. You couldn't even get a bottle of water without paying for it," Tigress said.

"Yeah, it's only because of principles that I got that water," Po said. He had asked for some water on the island to drink but they couldn't give it to him for free. He had left his wallet with Tigress. Not even a glass of water was free. Fortunately, the man had a principle taught by his parents to never refuse a man water when he's in thirst, so Po got the water free.

"The only thing that wasn't priced was the sea water," Tigress groaned. "And other than that, everything had a price. Jet skiing, rollercoaster, zipliner, those water gym things. Ugh! I'm so glad to be back on the ship. At least we can get water for free here."

"Other than that, it wasn't really bad," Po said. Then finally got to the 5th deck where the promenade was. "Well, that was the last stop. Only one more day at sea and then we leave. I loved doing this, but it will be good to get back and be able to sleep in my own bed."

"Yeah," Tigress simply said.

"Hey, do you want to go see that ice show at the ice rink?" Po asked excitedly. Tigress smiled.

"I'm good, why don't you go without me? I need some time alone on the top deck. If that's okay with you."

"Sure," Po replied. Tigress kissed him on the cheek and left. Po was curious as to why she had been acting a little mysterious lately. Po shrugged it off and went to the ice rink. It just so happened that Crane was there alone as well. "Hey," Po whispered because the show was already in progress.

"Hey, where's Tigress?"

"She wanted some alone time," Po explained. Crane raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, that concerned me too."

"Huh, that's weird," Crane said. Then an idea came to his head. "Po, did you... give her her gift?"

"No, I was planning to give it on the last day," Po explained. Then his eyes widened. "You don't think she-"

"It's probably the reason why she's been that way," Crane hypothesized. Po slammed his hand into his head. "You couldn't have known."

"Yeah, but she gave a couple of hints. Like when she was annoyed by you guys doing your thing," Po said.

"She was annoyed by that?" Crane asked. Po nodded. "Wow, that usually never happens."

"Although, you do have to admit you and Viper are very... vocal with your love," Po said. "What should I do?"

"What you should have done earlier?" Crane suggested. Po got out of the ice rink and he went to the room then he went to the top deck.

Tigress was staring out into the darkness and moon shone over the calm waters. She wasn't smiling but she looked sad and almost disappointed. Then she felt something tap her shoulder. She looked back to see what it was. "Po? What are you doing here? I thought the show was starting."

"It is, but I wanted to hang out with you," Po said. Tigress smiled a bit.

"Po, you don't have to sacrifice everything for me," Tigress said.

"I know, but I wanted to be with you. I know I can get along without you but I like it better when you're around me," Po said. Tigress smiled a tad and went back to looking out into the darkness. "What's got your mind in a tangle?"

"Nothing," Tigress simply said.

"Tigress, I know you. Something is up." Tigress sighed.

"Po, do you love me?" Tigress asked, leaning her head on the railing. Po gently took hold of Tigress's chin and lift it up to make her look at him.

"What made you think I didn't?" Po asked, deeply concerned. Tigress knew he loved her.

"I mean, I know you love me but... where do you think this relationship going?" Tigress asked.

"I thought it was going towards something," Po nervously said. Tigress smiled a bit. His nervousness always made her smile. "But I understand what you mean."

"Do you?" Tigress asked. "Listen, Po, I know we deeply care about each other and that we even love each other but... don't you think we should start being just... a little more?" Tigress was practically pleading. She knew he wouldn't really understand what she was saying. She had a hard time discussing what was on her mind sometimes. "I'm sorry, I'm not really being clear, am I?"

"No, you're actually being very clear," Po said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small little wooden box. He played around with it for a while. Tigress's curiosity was peaked. Tigress could also see that Po was biting the inside of his lip a bit.

"What is that?" Tigress asked. She actually wanted something to get off the subject they were on.

"This is kind of like a dream box," Po said. "It has all of my hopes and dreams in here."

"Why do you have that with you?"

"I want to remind myself the best things in life. I was going to let you see it on the last day, but I decided to give it to you early."

"Why?"

"Because I want to add one more dream to my dream box," Po said holding Tigress's hand.

"And what's that?" Suddenly, he bowed down on one knee and opened the box.

"You," He said. Tigress gasped and her eyes widened. The box wasn't a dream box, it was a ring box with a beautiful engagement ring inside. "Well, will you marry me?" She was speechless for a while. Po decided to play with her for a while. "Well, I guess that's a no. I'll be going to the dance hall to try and get pick up someone else," He said in a completely normal tone. By now, Tigress had gotten over her shock and knew actually what kind of game Po was playing. She smirked and laid her hands on her hips.

"Po," Tigress smirked.

"No, no, your answer has already been made. I'll just repair my heart somewhere else and then move on," Po said dramatically. "I'll always remember the time we cherished together." He tried to make a tear drop out of his eye. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"Po," Tigress said louder.

"Now, who to ask to be my wife? Maybe I can steal Mai from Monkey. Or maybe I could get that girl in the pool. Oh, that girl one the chair looks nice," Po said looking over the pool area.

"PO!" Tigress shouted.

"Yes," Po smiled. Tigress laughed as she kissed him on the lips.

"Yes, I'll marry you," She smiled. Po put the ring on her finger.

"I was going to wait until the last day but... I didn't want to make you wait so long," Po sighed.

"I'm sorry to rush you," Tigress apologized. She took the ring off and put it back in the box. Po was confused. "I don't want to lose it on the ship. Besides, it's part of your 'Dream box' now," she smirked. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Po replied, pulling her into another kiss.

 **Continued...**


	10. Cruise 10

Cruise Again 5

* * *

"He proposed! That's wonderful!" Viper exclaimed. Tigress smiled with a slight blush in her cheeks. "Now you have time to experiment."

"Experiment with what?"

"You know, how the honeymoon is going to be like," Viper smirked.

"Um... we don't want to rush it. I already did by rushing him to propose," Tigress said a little ashamed.

"I think you did it just in time. Although, he was waiting today to do it," Viper said. It was there last day at sea.

"How many people knew," Tigress asked, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Oh, everyone! Me, Crane, Monkey, your grandfather, your uncle Tai-Lung. I think even Mai knew," Viper replied. "Crane also told me about how you felt with me and him. I'm sorry we were so-"

"Don't worry, it was really my fault. I shouldn't have let it get to me," Tigress replied. "Although, you do have to admit that you and Crane take 'love' to some very interesting levels. I mean, is there any part of the ship you two weren't 'together'?"

"Well, there was the back of the jogging track, the sundeck, the rooms, and several of the hot tubs and pools," Viper listed.

"You used the pools and the hot tubs!" Tigress exclaimed. Then she started to shiver. "I will never be clean again." Just then, Po and Crane came back with their breakfast buffet. Before Crane could sit down between Tigress and Viper, Tigress pushed Crane's chair way over to Viper. Po and Crane were confused while Viper laughed.

"What was that for?" Crane asked.

"I was just making sure you and your wife had the adequate closeness to each other, seeing that you like to be together a number of places! Ugh," Tigress shivered. Crane just sat down still confused while Viper went on laughing.

"So, we have to start thinking about the wedding. Who to invite, what the theme is going to be, who's going to be performing the wedding-"

"Which closets I have to lock if you two are invited," Tigress interrupted. Viper laughed but rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, okay," Viper replied.

"Why don't we wait until we get back to Nashville to settle through the headaches," Po suggested. "Now, we enjoy the cruise. By the way, where is Monkey? He didn't come to the room last night." Viper spotted him and smiled.

"There he is with Mai," She said. They all turned around to see the fox with the monkey. Then they saw them kiss each other goodbye and he came towards them. They all had smug smiles on as Monkey sat down.

"What?"

"We saw you kiss Mai," Po smirked. Monkey blushed.

"She and I were thinking of seeing each other. She doesn't live that far from Nashville."

"Lucky you," Crane smiled. "Anyways, back to Tigress and Po."

"Aw come on! I didn't get to tease him as much as I wanted to," Po complained.

"Po," Tigress said in a warning voice. Po pouted a bit.

"You know, I think I liked him better before you came into his life," Monkey mentioned. Tigress smiled.

"Well, today's the last day. What are you guys going to do," Tigress asked Viper and Crane. Before they could even say anything, Tigress said, "Actually, don't answer that. I already know what you two are going to do. Monkey, stay away from the pools and the hot tubs." Only Viper was laughing. The rest were still confused.

"I was actually thinking of catching the comedy show," Monkey said.

"Fair enough," Po said. "Are you taking Mai with you?"

"Po," Tigress warned.

"I'm just asking," Po said defensively.

"She's going as well." Monkey said, "What are you two doing?"

"We're just going to hang out together. Away from the hot tubs and pools," Tigress said looking accusingly at Viper.

"You know, I'm sure those things are cleaned very thoroughly. Stop worrying," Viper replied.

"Hmm," Tigress murmured.

"Well, we have to go. See you two later," Viper said, going out with Crane. Monkey left, too. Po and Tigress went to the sundeck, where no one was there.

"Well, this is another memorable cruise. We might as well work here," Po joked. Tigress laughed. Po stood behind her and wrapped his arms around Tigress and rested his head on her shoulder. They looked at the rising sun as they leaned on the railing. "I love you," Po said.

"How many times are you going to say that," Tigress smirked.

"As long as I live," Po replied. Tigress turned around in Po's grasp to smile at him and kiss him.

"I love you, too," Tigress said. "And I'm looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together." Instead of kissing, they hugged each other. They liked doing this more than kissing. It was more heartfelt and less arousing. Then a question came into Po's head.

"What was it with you and Viper about the pools and hot tubs?" Po questioned. Tigress smirked and told him. "THEY DID WHAT!?"

This would definitely be a memorable cruise.

 **The End**


End file.
